Flawed Design
by EmeraldRain25
Summary: One night Eiji wakes up terrified, with a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. He brushes it off, or at least he tries too. If only he knew of the events that would later transpire. Some people may call these feeling and events completely incidently, but I beleive there's no such things as accidents.
1. Chapter 1

Umm yeah. Not much to say other than sorry. I know I have a lot of songoing stories, but this was too good to pass up. I'm planning for it to be fairly short so please don't be mad. I know some of you have been waiting for updates on some of my stories for months now. I once again apologize. Sometimes it's just impossible for me to write for certain stories at certain times.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

**Summary: **"Patient is going into shock! Restrain him!" People in white lab coats crowded around him, stopping him from moving.  
"Let me see Ochibi!" He yelled, but regretted it when pain tore through his throat. He was aware of a small pinch in his right arm. He tried to fight off the sudden drowsiness that assaulted him, but it was no use. Before he knew it he was fading away into black.

**Warning:** Umm none at the moment.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Prince of Tennis.

**Chapter 1**

_Nightmares_

* * *

_Lights. Why are there so many lights?_

He wished he could tell whoever was shining those lights in his eyes to stop, but when he opened his mouth all he could manage was a low groan.

_Where am I? _

His eyes scrunched shut to block out the blinding, white light. He had a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach. Like something was wrong; like something was horribly and utterly wrong.

_What am I missing? _

He was suddenly aware of the intense throbbing in his head and the dull ache all over his body. Everything hurt. Each second that went by only caused the pain to gradually increase, until he felt like his head was about to explode. He could hear yelling in the background and wished they would all just _shut up!_ Didn't they know how much his head hurt?

_Are those sirens in the background? Wait...Sirens? Last I remember we were heading over to...over to... Where were we heading? Oh yeah! We were heading to Atobes! _

He once again compelled his eyes open. He forced himself to turn his head to to the side, then instantly decided that it had been a bad idea. The pain in his head was suddenly raging. He let out an agonized cry. He scrunched his eyes closed again and tried to remember what had happened.

_Why can't I remember anything? _

He didn't know why, but he felt a strange forbidding feeling. This only made him ten times more sure that something was wrong. Were his teammates in trouble? Where was Ochibi? Where was Oishi? Where was Fuji? Where were the rest of his friends? What had happened to them?

_Oishi? Ochibi? Where are you? Fuji? Why aren't any of you answering me!?_

He let out a startled cry when he was suddenly lifted and placed on something soft. At the same time he was hit with the urge to see Ochibi, to make sure he was alright, to make sure he was safe. He tried to sit up, but hands only pushed him back down.

_Why won't they let me see Ochibi! Let me go! I need to make sure Ochibi and Oishi are all right! Let me go!_

"Patient is going into shock! Restrain him!" Who was that? Why did they want to restrain him? He needed to get to Ochibi, to Oishi, to Fuji. He needed to make sure everyone was alright!

_Let me go! My friends might be in trouble! Let me go! Why won't aren't you listening to me? My friends might be in danger! Let. me. go! _

"Let me see Ochibi!" He managed to yell, though regretted it when pain tore through his throat. He brushed it off and kept struggling. He was suddenly aware of a small pinch in his arm. He tried to fight off his sudden drowsiness, but it was no use. Before he knew it he was fading away into black. His last thoughts were.

_Don't worry Ochibi, Oishi, Fuji, Everyone. I'm coming for you! I'll save you!_

...

Eiji bolted up in bed with a cry. His eyes were wide with fear and he was shaking uncontrollably. Unthinkingly, tears began to stream down his eyes and he unintentionally clutched Daigoro closer to him.

He kept telling himself that everything had just been a dream. A horrible, horrible dream. Yet even as he told himself that, a part of his mind disagreed. Everything had been so vivid, so lifelike. He tried to calm his breathing, but couldn't. His heart felt like it was pounding at a rate of a 100 miles per hour.

His hands shook uncontrollably as he reached for the cellphone that rested on his bedside table. He needed to make sure that everyone was alright, that nothing bad had happened to some of the most important people in his life at the moment.

He forced his shaking fingers to dial-up Ochibi's number which he proudly knew by heart. He knew the numbers of everyone on the team by heart. Due to the uncontrolled shaking, he was forced to dial the number a few times before he finally got it right.

Forcing the phone to his ear, he waited for someone to pick up. He listened to the dial tone as it rang and rang and rang. He kept telling himself that Ochibi was probably sleeping, that was why he wasn't answering. Even as he told himself that, the horrid feeling in the pit of his stomach stayed.

It felt like hours before the dial tone stopped and breathing could be heard on the other end.

"Hello?" Came the tired voice of Eiji's one and only Ochibi. Eiji couldn't stop the sudden rush of tears that streamed down his face once again.

"Ochibi?!" He whispered, dazed. He had to make sure he wasn't the one dreaming. That the dream hadn't been reality and right now was the real dream.

A yawn could be heard along with the shuffling of blankets. "Eiji-Sempai? What is it? You do know it's like 3 am right? I know you must be excited for tomorrow, but couldn't you have waited till we meet up before calling me. Or at least until the sun came up?"

Eiji smiled, wiping the tears away. "Gomen Ochibi," He whispered, "See you tomorrow."

Just before Eiji hung up, he caught Ryoma say. "Sempai-Tachi are weird."

...

Despite knowing that Ochibi was safe, the feeling in the pit of his stomach stayed, and no matter what Eiji tried, it would not go away. He finally gave up on falling back asleep. Eiji slipped on his favourite pair of fuzzy slippers and headed downstairs.

He poured himself a glass of milk before taking a seat on the couch and turning on the T.V. He made sure to keep the volume on low, not wanting to wake up his siblings, or worse, his parents.

Eiji wasn't surprised that there was nothing on T.V, but re-runs and commercials. It was 3 am after all. Eiji didn't care though. He needed something, anything, to keep his mind off the dream that kept popping back up in his mind every time he let his eyes close for even a second. He still couldn't get over how real the dream had felt; How real the pain had felt.

This was why Eiji hated nightmares. He didn't get them often, but when he did, they always ended up scaring him until he became a trembling mess and had to force himself to come downstairs and watch T.V.

Before he knew it, the sun was rising in the dark blue sky. Eiji got up and walked over to the window. He watched as the sun slowly rose, staining the dark blue sky bright pinks, purples and oranges.

The sun finally slipped past the horizon, now in full view in the sky. Eiji's eyes widened in shock when he noticed the sun was blood red instead of it's normal yellow. He took a step back, tripping over his own feet and crashing to the ground. This was wrong! The sun wasn't supposed to be red! It was yellow! Or it was supposed to be anyway.

The next time he blinked though, the sun was back to yellow. He shook his head, blaming his apparent lack of sleep and telling himself he must be seeing things.

He looked at his watch and noticed it was already 7. The team was supposed to meet up at 8 at the school.

He quickly hopped in the shower. When he finished his shower he did his hair and brushed his teeth. Finally he pulled on his Seigaku uniform and headed downstairs. The smell of cooking apparent from inside the kitchen.

Eiji bid good morning to his mother as she set a plate of pancakes in front of him. He made quick work of finishing them before heading out the door.

As he made his way towards the school he couldn't help the smile that overcame his features. Today they would all be going to Atobe's private mansion, where Atobe would be holding a party for them. All their friends from the Nationals and Kantou/Regional tournaments had been invited. Overall, Eiji was really looking forward to the event.

He caught sigh of his best friend and doubles partner as he rounded the corner to the school. He smiled before breaking into a sprint, throwing his arms around an unsuspecting Oishi. "Ohayo!" He greeted.

Oishi smiled at the red-head. "Ohayo Eiji," He said once the red-head had let go of him. His eyes narrowed when he caught sight of the large bags under Eiji's eyes. "Eiji, are you feeling alright? You look a bit pale."

This caused the rest of the team to look over at the red-head in concern. Eiji nodded to his best friend.

"Hai, I just had a bit of trouble sleeping last night so I'm a bit more tired than usual. Nothing to worry about though," He reassured. Oishi nodded, but still held a concerned look in his eyes.

"Nya, where's Ochibi and Momochi?" Eiji asked curiously, realising the freshman and junior had yet to arrive.

"According to my data there is a 93.4% chance that Momo and Echizen both ended up sleeping in and are now hurrying here," Inui scribbled down in his ever present notebook. Almost as soon as he said that, a speeding bike could be seen a couple blocks away, heading straight for them.

"Nya! Momo slow down!" Eiji shouted, jumping out of the way just in time as the bike flew by them, missing them by inches. When Momo finally stepped on the breaks the bike came to an abrupt halt, sending the occupants flying off.

"Baka Momo-Sempai," Muttered an irritated Ryoma.

Eiji couldn't help but smile as he threw his arms around the freshman. "Nya Ochibi, you were almost late. Mabey you should get a new alarm?" Eiji suggested, glomping the poor freshman.

Ryoma sighed, shaking his head. "Mada Mada Dane, Sempai."

* * *

A/N

So how was it?

Please review :)


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, here's the next chapter. Sorry for the late update, but this time I actually have a valid reason for it. I had spring break two weeks ago and when I came back I had to pack for my school trip to Quebec, which is quite far away. I even got to go on my first plane ride. Then when I got back on Monday at 2:30 am, I found out my computer was trashed. I actually went into a fit of rage and our internet was also disconnected.

I'v been staying at Grandma's since yesterday and have managed to type out this short chapter on her computer, in between prepping for CAT tests that have been taking place since I got back for Quebec.

So anyway...enjoy.

**Warning:** Umm none at the moment.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Prince of Tennis.

**Chapter 2**

_Friends Forever_

* * *

The morning sun shone brightly and there was not a single cloud in the bright, blue sky. Birds chirped cheerfully and a slight breeze flowed around them. Fuji couldn't help but be thankful for the absolutely beautiful day.

Everyone had large smiles on their faces . They were making their way towards the bus stop, where they would take a bullet train to Atobe's. Fuji had been quite surprised when he had found out that Atobe, of all people, would be throwing them a congratulations party for their win at the Nationals.

The team had been stoked after their win. Even now, the adrenaline had yet to wear off. Needless to say, it felt as if they could do anything. After three years of hard, grueling practices almost every day, they had finally achieved everything they had worked so hard for; they had accomplished their goal of taking the title of the National Champions.

Looking around he noticed how pumped up the team was. For once Momo and Kaidoh were not fighting. Kaidoh was instead, having an intense conversation with Inui. Momo was chatting with an unusually happy freshman. Taka was walking at the front of the group, enjoying the scenery, and Oishi and Tezuka were talking at the back of the group. The only person that wasn't talking with anybody was Eiji.

A frown found its way across Fuji's face as he looked over his friend. The usually hyper redhead was unusually quiet and reserved. Eiji walked behind Inui and Kaidoh, a frown replacing his usual smile. His face was oddly pale and he held a worried look in his eyes. Something was bugging Eiji, that much was obvious.

Fuji quickened his pace until he was walking side by side his best friend. The redhead looked up at him and Fuji could tell he was forcing a smile. "Hey, what's up?" Eiji asked, his voice questioning.

Fuji just continued to stare quizzically at the redhead for another minute. Up close Eiji looked so much worse. Fuji could now see the large bags that hung under bloodshot eyes, "Are you okay?"

Eiji seemed to be caught off guard by the question. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

Fuji's frown deepened. "Are you sure you're feeling okay? You look sick."

Nodding, Eiji closed his eyes for a second before re-opening them. "Yeah, I just didn't sleep well."

"Any particular reason?" Fuji asked, staring intensely at Eiji, willing his best friend to tell him something; anything to reassure him (Fuji) that he (Eiji) was alright.

Eiji shook his head and looked down at the ground. It's not like he didn't trust his friend, but he just didn't want Fuji to think of him as a wimp for being so scared of something as petty as a bad dream. "Not really, just a nightmare, nothing serious."

Fuji's eyes narrowed, he could tell Eiji was hiding something from him, but he didn't press the subject any longer. "Eiji, you know if somethings ever bugging you, no matter how small it may be, you can always come and talk to me. I won't ever judge you or think you're a wimp if you ever ask me for help, I'm not that kind of person."

Eiji glanced up at his friend, surprised by his friends sincerity. He nodded at Fuji's words and whispered a small thanks, unable to think of anything else to say, he jogged ahead.

Fuji watched as Eiji ran ahead until he was walking beside Momo and Echizen, clinging to the freshman. Fuji couldn't help, but worry for his friend. They had known each other for three years and he could tell something was seriously bugging Eiji. Fuji just hoped that whatever was bugging his friend, it wasn't anything serious. After all, if anything were to happen to Eiji, or anyone were to ever hurt the redhead, he would make sure they paid dearly.

Fuji's thought's were interrupted as Inui pointed out that they had, obviously, arrived at the bus stop. They began boarding one of the bullet trains that would take them to near where Atobe's house was and he told himself to keep a close eye on Eiji. As the train signalled their departure, he pushed the thoughts of Eiji out of his mind and told himself to enjoy the absolutely beautiful day

* * *

_A/N_

_Yes, I know. It's a short chapter. Just a heads up, the next chapter will also be quite short. The chapter after that though is where it gets interesting :P_

_Please Review_


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow, that was a fast update, at least according to my standards it was.**

**Anyway, even when writing the last chapter I realised something was missing. Thanks to one of my reviews I finally figured out what; Tension. I honestly tried to add a bit more tension to this chapter, but I'm not quite sure I succeeded. **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading.**

**Warning:** Umm none at the moment.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Prince of Tennis.

**Chapter 3**

_Beautiful Misgivings_

* * *

Laughter and shouts echoed around the train could see people giving them weird looks, but for once in his life, he didn't care. His team had a right to celebrate their win. Afterall, Tezuka couldn't be any more proud of their amazing performance at the Nationals.

Even though it had been a week since their win. He still remembered how he had felt at that one moment; the moment their freshman had scored the final point; the moment the referee had announced their score; the moment they realised they had finally won.

After three years, they had finally achieved their goal of gaining the official title of The National Juniour Tennis Tournament Champions. They had made it through everything God had thrown at them and came out on top. In other words, it was a dream come true. And looking around at everyone's smiling faces, Tezuka wouldn't change a thing.

Now all he could do was hope that things wouldn't change, that everything would stay the same. But even as he thought that to himself, he knew that it was naïve to think that things would stay exactly the same. Afterall, a famous person once said, "The good can never last, it will eventually fade away, like the spirits of those around."

Across from him sat Eiji and Ryoma. The two were chatting contently together and for once Echizen was not complaining about Eiji's hug of death. Eiji was being formidably louder than the freshman, but Tezuka couldn't bring himself to really care at the moment.

What he did notice was how pale the redhead was; how tired he looked. Eiji had said he hadn't slept well and Tezuka could only hope that to be the case. Afterall, they were here to enjoy themselves.

Two seats down from them sat Oishi and Taka. The two seemed content with watching the city pass by as the train sped towards their destination. Tezuka had to say it would be a shame that Taka wasn't continuing tennis through highschool.

Infront of Oishi and Taka, were Momo and Kaidoh. The two were arguing loudly, but no one seemed to notice, too engrossed in their own conversation.

Beside the two, and in between Momo and himself, sat Inui. As usual he was scribbling furiously down in one of his notebooks. Somehow managing to record the teams activities without looking up even once.

Lastly, sitting beside him, and across from Echizen, was Fuji. The brunette seemed content with watching the scenery rush past him; completely off in his own little world.

Tezuka frowned, wondering what exactly the tensai was thinking. In all the three years he had known Fuji, he had never completely understood the tensai, and he didn't expect too. Fuji was a mystery, not only to strangers, but also to the people who saw him every single day.

Sometimes it was hard to imagine that these were the same people he had befriended three years ago. Everyone had changed so much in the past three years; whether it be physically or mentally. They had all drastically improved at tennis, whether they realized it or not. Most had grown taller or changed appearances in some way. Best of all they had made friends out of what were once complete strangers. They had all formed unbreakable bonds with each other, that would hopefully stay with them their entire life.

Tezuka leant back in his chair. If anyone had been paying attention they would have noticed the small traces of a smile visible on his face.

He was broken from his thoughts as the train was suddenly jolted. His eyes flew open and he gripped onto his seat handle to avoid being harshly hurtled off his chair. Just a swiftly as it had come, the jolting stopped and the train was once again speeding smoothly down the tracks.

Tezuka forced himself to calm down his breathing, which was now coming out in short, rough, gasps. The sudden jolt had startled him, nearly giving him a heart attack. Even as his breathing slowed, returning to normal, a uneasy feeling in his stomach stayed, but for the life of him, he could not figure out why.

Around him he could hear the curios whispers of not only his team, but of other people in the compartment; all wondering what had happened to cause the sudden jolt. For a second it had felt like the train had come off it's tracks.

The whispers soon started to die down. People all around him dismissed the sudden jolting as a complete accident; nothing that they had to worry about. The train was now moving smoothly and that was all that mattered. Or at least to them it was.

For some reason, the feeling in the pit of his stomach stayed. The feeling unnerved him. Everything was fine, everything was alright. That's what he told himself. Yet for the life of him, he couldn't fathom why it felt like he was riding onward to his death; to hell.

He glanced sideways and brown eyes met porcelain blue. The brunette was also frowning, an uneasy look in his usual mischief filled, porcelain, blue eyes. For a few seconds the two sat in silence, staring intently at each other, as if reading each others minds. Tezuka could tell Fuji felt uneasy too; he could tell the brunette was just as worried as he was. Soon the seconds turned to minutes. After what seemed like an hour, but was really only 5 minutes,their staring contest was broken.

It was Fuji who stood up. "I'll be right back, I'm just going to go speak to the Conductor for a moment." He quickly left, heading towards the front of the train.

It was Momo who brought Tezuka's attention back to his team. "Hey, isn't that our stop up ahead?"

Sure enough, up ahead the signs clearly stated that this was where they were supposed to be getting off at. The only problem was, they weren't slowly down. The train still hurtled at full speed down the tracks, showing no sign of stopping, at least not anytime soon.

Tezuka's frown deepened. He wondered if he should go talk to the conductor, but then remembered that Fuji had already went up. Surely he would notice their predicament. Even if Tezuka had decided to get up and talk to the conductor he wouldn't have been able to. For at the same moment they entered a tunnel the lights flashed once, before the entire train was plunged in darkness

* * *

A/N

Done! So how'd I do? I'm kinda torn on this chapter. On one hand I feel as if I did well, on the other I feel I did horrible and on the other, other hand I feel like I did decent. So yeah...

Anyway, I hope you'll be kind enough to review :P


	4. Chapter 4

**So yeah. For some reason this chapter feels off. I dont know why, mabey that's just me being paranoid or something. **

**Enjoy!**

**Warning:** Umm none at the moment.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Prince of Tennis.

**Chapter 4**

_Glimpses of Hell_

* * *

**12:30 PM**

It was a bright sunny day in the Shingawa district of Tokyo, People walked to and fro, collecting groceries and shopping. Children ran cheerfully through the streets, without a care in the world. It was the perfect day.

A shout suddenly filled the air and everyone turned to look at the speeding bullet train above them. No one seemed to take notice of how fast the train was going, or that it was heading straight to them.

When the train derailed, everyone stood frozen in shock. Then it hit the ground.

Everything became a giant ball of chaos and panic. Screams filled the air and the train screeched across the ground, colliding with the side of the building and crumbling in on itself. Shards of glass and metal were everywhere.

Smoke from small fires, started by the train, filled the air. All around them people were screaming, watching the scene in horror.

Soon sirens filled the air. Police, fire trucks, ambulances and rescue teams crowded around the crash site. All around them parts of the train lay strewn across the fire's were put out and officers began to look through the rubble.

Police held back curious reporters, stopping them from getting to close.

All in all, their peaceful day had turned into a day in hell; a day that they would recount when they were older and remember how it shook their very souls, a day that would go down in history.

...

**12:11**

Fuji made his way towards the front of the train, a large frown set across his face. Something was wrong, that much was obvious.

Fuji knew the jolting hadn't been an accident. Something had caused it and he was determined to find out what.

Finally he reached the conductors room. Lightly tapping on the door, he waited for someone to answer. When no one did, he lightly grasped the handle, turning it until he heard a soft click.

The door swung open easily, revealing the passed out form of the driver. Fuji rushed forward, feeling for a pulse. He slumped back in relief as he felt the steady thump of the man's pulse. He glanced around and his eyes narrowed as he spotted about three empty bear cans.

"I guess we know why the train was jolting," He muttered, shaking his head furiously. It was then that realisation hit him. The driver was passed out, and no one was driving the train. Anger was quickly replaced with a deep panic.

He noticed the conductor was wearing a headset and removed it without hesitation. He slipped it on, pressing the green button on the side of it.

"Hello?" He called, and hoped to God for an answer. For about 30 seconds he waited, until another voice could be heard over the line.

"Hello, this is dispatch, what is your emergency?" Came a monotone, female voice.

"This is a passenger from a Tokyo train heading from Shingawa to Shinjuku. The driver of the train is highly intoxicated," Fuji explained.

"Ah, I see. Is there anyone you know that is with you, who knows how to drive a train?" The women asked.

Fuji highly doubted anyone from their middle school, tennis team, knew how to drive a train.

"No", He replied.

"I see," The women repeated. "Well than all yo..." Static suddenly filled his end of the headset.

"Hello, hello?" He tried to regain contact with the women, but nothing was working. Fuji glanced around, panic in his porcelain, blue eyes. He then spotted something that made his heart leap; the emergency breaks.

He quickly grabbed the handle and tried to lower it, only to find it wouldn't move. Letting out a frustrated grunt, he tried again. It wouldn't budge. He looked around for another option, but found none.

Turning back to the controls he looked for something that looked like it would stop the train. Suddenly the train slammed into the side of the tunnel, causing him to lose his footing.

He stumbled to the ground, slamming his head against the controls. The harsh impact caused his vision to blur and before he could get back up, his world went black.

...

**12:21**

He should have seen this coming, he should have known. There had been signs, warnings all throughout the morning; his bone chilling nightmare, the blood-red sun, the mysterious jolting, and now this.

All around him people were screaming, shouting at each other in panicked voices. He couldn't move. He was frozen. People ran around him, stampeding around in terror, because that was all they could do. He just sat there, frozen in utter shock. His eyes were opened wide in fright, and fear kept him fastened in his seat.

The train had stopped jolting and had been running smoothly along the tracks, then suddenly, the lights had began flashing, until, finally, they had shut off all together. Now the train was hurtling full speed through a tunnel and the occupants were trapped in the dark, horror filled train, with no way of escaping.

_Why? _

Eiji thought in dismay.

_Why us? Why now?_

No one answered him.

All around him he could make out the terrified shouts of everyone on the train.

"Whats happening?"

"Why did the lights shut off?

"Aren't we going a bit fast?"

"Mommy! Where are you?"

The last comment struck Eiji with a sudden burst of realisation. He remembered Fuji saying how he was going to go and speak with the conductor. Eiji jumped up in alarm. His best friend was somewhere on the train; _**alone!**_

"Everybody stay calm! I'm sure the lights will be back on soon!" Tezuka's voice rose above the panic. Everyone seemed to pause for a moment, soaking in Tezuka's words. Eiji wasn't surprised. Tezuka sounded so authoritative, so confident, he could make anyone believe him if he tried.

The noise eventually began to die down a bit. Of course there was still people who were moving around and talking to each other in fear filled voices; wondering what was going on.

Eiji stood stock still, wondering what to do. Should he stay here and wait to see if the lights turned on, or should he go and look for his friend? For some reason something compelled him to go look for his friend. A strange, dread filled feeling, clutched at his chest, as if telling him that if he needed to find Fuji, before it was too late.

Without warning the train began to lean against the wall of the tunnel. Windows shattered upon contact and an ear-splitting screech, of metal grinding against concrete, filled the train. Everyone covered their ears in surprise and ducked down to avoid broken shards of glass that were flying everywhere.

"Eiji-sempai!" Eiji jolted out of his shocked state and realised Ryoma was standing right in front of him, trying to get him to kneel down.

"Get down!" Ryoma shouted and when Eiji didn't move from where he was standing, Ryoma tackled him harshly to the ground.

"Ochibi let go! Fuji's still somewhere on the train. We need to find him," Eiji gasped, trying to struggle out from under a surprising heavy Ryoma.

Ryoma only tightened his hold on the struggling redhead. "Fuji-sempai can take care of himself. Right now, all we need to worry about is not getting stabbed with glass!" Ryoma shouted over the loud screeching, mixed with the screams of the passengers.

The train suddenly lent towards the other side of the tunnel, causing the occupants on the ground to roll towards the right side of the train. Soon the shaking became more violent, until the train was slamming into one wall after the other every second.

Eiji could feel Ryoma hanging onto to him for dear life. They were both being slammed into chairs and other people. The darkness prevented them from knowing where they were or seeing the people around them.

Eiji let out a pained gasp as his head hit the edge of a chair, causing him to hunch over in pain. He could hear Ryoma's pained breathing as he was also slammed around from the violent shaking of the train.

Everything was absolute chaos. Ryoma and Eiji had lost any of their team mates that had still been in the compartment. They were no doubt also getting slammed around from the shaking.

Eiji squeezed his eyes shut, hoping this was just another one of his nightmares, but when he re-opened them again, he was met with the same, scream filled darkness of the train.

It was hard to believe that less than an hour ago, they had all been joking together, laughing with large smiles on their faces. Now here they were, terrified, and scared for their lives.

_Dammit! Why us? _Eiji thought angrily to himself. He frowned and brought Ochibi into a large hug, making sure to keep his arms tightly locked against the trembling freshman.

"Eiji-sempai?" Ryoma murmured in surprise.

Eiji held onto Ryoma tightly as they were brandished around by the violent shaking of the train. "It's okay Ochibi, I got you!"

Together they were sent tumbling into things and people. Eiji bared the worst of the brunt force, taking most of the impacts.

"Eiji?!" A loud voice caught his ears, causing his eyes to go wide with shock.

_OISHI!_

He leaped to his feet and looked around, trying to spot his friend in the darkness of the train. abruptly the train reached the end of the tunnel and was suddenly flooded with light. At the same moment, everyone noticed the train heading full speed to the large curve in the tracks.

People began screaming in realisation for what was about to happen.

"We're going to fast!"

"The trains going to derail!"

"Everyone get down!"

Eiji stood staring at Oishi, who was on the other side of the compartment. Oishi's green eyes widened in relief when he saw the redhead was all right, aside from a couple of bruises and cuts from the glass.

It felt like no time had passed before the train hit the curve. Like everyone had predicted, it flew right off the tracks. For a second it felt like everything was frozen, like time had stopped, like the universe was in a standstill.

He was brought back to reality as he was harshly slammed to the ground. He looked up, surprised to see Ryoma laying on top of him, eyes shut in terror. He had completely forgotten about the freshman.

"Please stay down Eiji-sempai," He was absolutely shocked to hear the freshman's voice filled with a humongous amount of fear. Then again, he shouldn't be surprised. Even the fearless freshman must be scared in a situation like this.

Time seemed to unfreeze as they hit the streets below, the harsh impact slamming them into the ground, causing them to roll through the streets until they collided with the side of a large building, bringing them to a slow halt.

He tried to move, only to feel something preventing him. What was stopping him? His head span and he shut his eyes again. He felt like throwing up.

Eiji forced his eyes open. Everything hurt. All around him people lay unmoving on the floor of the train. Or was it the roof? He couldn't tell anymore. Parts of the train were crushed from the impact and large pieces of the train had collapsed ontop of people. Rubble was all around him. Dust and smoke, from small fires that had broken out, filled the air. All in all, it looked like hell.

The blinding white pain stopped him from putting to coherent thoughts together. His head pounded horribly and before he could stop himself, he was fading away into a world of pain.

* * *

A/N

ANYWAY...how did I do? Did you like it? Did you expect it? Probably...I'm very predictably.

Please tell me how I did and review! :P


	5. Chapter 5

So I'm finally back from my month long prep for PAT's, Then I went on a two day drive to visit my dad in B.C. Then we went camping until like three hours ago :P Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Disclaimer:** I DO NOT OWN PRINCE OF TENNIS.

**Chapter 5**

_The News_

* * *

"Ore-sama demands to know what is taking them so long!" Atobe's loud, obnoxious voice rang throughout the ballroom.

All throughout the morning countless tennis teams had been arriving at Atobe Keigo's mansion. For about 2 weeks they had been planning a congratulations party for Seigaku's win at the Nationals. So far things had been going smoothly. The only problem was; Seigaku had yet to show up.

"I'm sure their train just got held up or something," Shirashi stated calmly, but somehow he found himself frowning. Although it was not unusual for some of Seigaku's team members to not be the timeliest of people, Tezuka would no doubt have kept them on track. It was very unusual for Tezuka to be late, especially 45 minutes late. Just that fact alone, was enough to make some people worry.

"They better get here soon," Murai muttered, sending longing glances at the buffet, which was stacked high with delicious looking sweets and treats, courtesy of Atobe.

Everyone nodded their agreement at the sugar loving red-head. They were all bored out of their minds and most of them were getting increasingly more hungry, which was not being helped by the wafting smell of food that was slowly filling up the large room.

So far the only complete teams that had arrived were Hyotei, Rikkia, Rokkaku and Shitenhoji. Many individuals from different teams had shown up, but many had been unable to make the party.

Such individuals that had managed to show were Kamio, Shinji, Ann Tachibana and her brother, from Fudomine. Mizuki and Yuuta, from St. Rudolf. And most surprisingly, Akutsu from Yamabuki had taken the liberty to attend to the party.

In total, about 39 kids were now sitting lazily around the ballroom.

"Leave it to Seigaku to show up late for their own party," Kirihara muttered, only to be softly reprimanded by his light-haired buchou.

Yukimura, sent a reprimanding glare the juniors way. "Hush Akaya, like Shirashi said, their train probably just got delayed."

Akaya decided to be smart for once in his life, and held back a comment that would surely earn him one of Sanada's increasingly more severe slaps; The slaps that Niou had taken to calling 'Sanada's Bitch Slaps'. Let's just say, he wanted to save himself from the embarrassment, especially in front of all the other teams gathered. Since Kirihara decided to keep his mouth shut, the room was once again plunged into silence.

The silence became increasingly more strained and, needless to say, after about another 15 minutes had passed, the large group of middle schoolers began to seriously question whether or not Seigaku was going to show.

Atobe, who was getting fed up at Seigaku's absence, was just about to start another one of his 'Diva Rants', when he was abruptly cut off by the loud ringing of a cellphone.

Many players flinched and jumped at the sudden noise that echoed around the large room. Jirou was even startled awake, causing him to fall backwards off his chair. He was knocked to the ground. Not only that, but he ended up taking Murai, who was standing right behind Jirou's chair, with him. This caused many of the tennis players around them to break out into laughter and the two on the ground were left to get themselves out of a tangle of limps.

Amist everyone's laughs, Kamio gingerly took out his cellphone and pressed talk. Everyone's stares were directed to him as he mumbled a quick hello to the person on the other line. "Sengoku? What is it?"

"..."

"How am I supposed to know if Atobe has a T.V?"

"..."

"Fine, fine I'll ask him!"

Everyone stared at the red-head in confusion, wondering what Sengoku from Yamabuki was doing, calling Kamio from Fudomine.

"Che, of course Ore-sama has a T.V!" Atobe scoffed, before Kamio could even ask him anything. "Kabaji!"

"Usu." In the next second a large portion of the far wall opened up tp reveal a large, flat screen T.V. Everyone, but Hyotei of course (They were used to Atobe and any surprises his mansions may offer), could only stare in awe or wonder at Atobe's display of what money could get you.

"...Yes, he has a T.V. " Kamio stated, stunned.

"..."

"The news? Why would I turn on the News?"

Everyone in the room could hear the loud shouts on the other lined that followed.

"Fine, stopping yelling at me, I'll turn on the freaking news!" Kamio shouted into the other line. The rest of the tennis players began to gather in front of the T.V. Kabaji, after receiving the command from Atobe, changed the channel to Tokyo's main news cast. It seemed to be in the middle of a pretty important broadcast.

The screen was zoomed in on a women's face and she was talking rapidly, as if something important had just happened, and judging from Sengoku's insistence that he turn on the news, something had happened. In the background loud sirens could be heard, along with the many shouts coming from different directions.

_"I'm here in downtown Kinjuku, in the middle of the devastating wreckage. Where only minutes before, a speeding bullet train, heading to the outskirts of Shinjuku from Tokyo, derailed_." The woman's voice was full excitement and looks of thrill and adrenaline were present on her face. The tennis players could only listen in shock. A train derailment?

The camera zoomed out and focused on the wreak behind the women. Everyone slowly felt their eyes widen in horror at the disaster.

"Jesus Christ," Niou swore under his breath. No one could bring themselves to reprimand him. All around the room, everyone wore similar looks of disbelief, all exactly like the one Niou was wearing now.

_Chaos._

That was the only word anyone could think of to describe the scene.

The once busy shopping district was a massive ball of flames and wreckage. Parts and chunks of what once was a shiny, metal bullet train lay strewn across the ground underneath the bridge; on top of which, you could clearly see where the train had broken through the bridge's railing.

Some parts of the train were completely crushed, well other were broken in half or had large dents in them from where they had hit the ground. The conductors car had even crashed into the side of what looked like a convenience store. Some of the train cars had even caught on fire.

Rubble from the convenience store wall was everywhere. It was mixed with shards of glass and pieces of metal that had broken off of the train. Fire fighters, police officers and rescue teams, navigated through the rubble. They were no doubt searching for anyone who might have survived the crash. At the moment though, it seemed highly unlikely that anyone could survive what could only be described as hell; Complete and absolute _hell._

Before anyone could asses the damage further, the camera focused back on the woman's face.

_"Right now responders are putting all their energy into searching for survivors of this devastating crash. About 20 minutes before the derailment, Emergency Dispatchers received a call from one of the passengers onboard the train. We will now replay the call_" A blank blue screen popped up on the television. On it read 'Emergency Call'.

_"Hello?" _

Yuuta, who was sitting in the middle of the group, froze. His eyes widened and he shook his head. No! It couldn't be!

_"Hello, this is dispatch, what is your emergency?" _Came a monotone, female voice.

_"This is a passenger from a Tokyo train heading from Shingawa to Shinjuku. The driver of the train is currently highly intoxicated," _

Many middle schoolers suddenly recognized the voice of the passenger. Their eyes went wide and many let out gasps of surprise mixed with horror and disbelief.

_"Ah, I see. Is there anyone you know that is with you, who knows how to drive a train?" _The women asked.

_"No"_

_"I see," _The women repeated. "_Well than all you..." _

Static suddenly replaced the women voices. The image of the reporter was suddenly back.

_"It is unclear whether or not Tokyo Rail, a major business involved with much of Japan's transportation trains, will be held responsible for the accident. This is Tokyo News signing off." _

The news cast suddenly went to commercial and everyone was left there to comprehend what they had just heard. A thump echoed around the room and everyone turned to stare at Yuuta, who had dropped to his knees. His hands lay unmoving at his sides, his eyes stares blankly ahead of him. His face was void of all emotions other than disbelief.

"Aniki," His voice shook and he began trembling. "Aniki," He repeated, desperation clinging to his voice as tears slowly welled up in his eyes.

The group of middleschoolers could only sit there as loud, racking sobs filled the large room.

* * *

A/N

First of all; I would like to thank all my reviewers. I seriously didn't think people would like this story that much.

Second, I would like you hear your opinions on who you really, really don't want to die and who you _think_ is going to die.

Tell me what you think and review!

:P


	6. Chapter 6

Wow, who knew Summer was supposed to be so busy? I got a full time job, then I come home and baby sit for a few hours. Then my dad, who I'm visiting for the summer, usually takes us to the lake till midnight. So let's just say I haven't got much time to relax, let alone write. I'm enjoying it though, just like I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Disclaimer:** I DO NOT OWN PRINCE OF TENNIS.

**Chapter 6**

_Bonds of Brothers_

* * *

_'Where am I?'_

A tired, pain filled voice, echoed around his head. It felt like he was floating in the pit of black that surrounded him, swallowing him whole. His body was limp from the sheer exhaustion that filled his veins.

_"Ohayo!" _

Fuji jolted in shock as Eiji excitement filled voice echoed around the black void; disturbing the peaceful tranquility that had remained only seconds before.

_"Nya, where's Ochibi and Momochi?" _

"Eiji?" Fuji called out, but no one answered him.

_"According to my data there is a 93.4% chance that Momo and Echizen both ended up sleeping in and are now hurrying here," _

_"Mada Mada Dane, Sempai."_

'Whats going on?' Fuji thought; his usual calm composure was now replaced with one of confusion and uncertainty.

_"..."_

_"Yeah, I just didn't sleep well."_

_"..."_

_"Not really, just a nightmare, nothing serious."_

"Hello!?" He shouted,voice filled with desperation and fear. Once again, he was met with the empty sound of silence. He whipped his head from side to side, trying to catch a glimpse of the people the voices belonged to. It was useless though; he was still trapped in the never-ending black pit.

His friends voices still echoed through the darkness, ringing in his ears. He could hear their laughter, as well other the voices of many other individuals mixed in.

"What's happening?" Fuji whispered, trying to make sense of what was happening, but with little success.

Suddenly a piercing scream of pure pain echoed around him.

Letting out a cry of surprise and he fell to his knees, placing his hands over his ears trying to block out the bone chilling screaming. Fuji squeezed his eyes shut and prayed for the voice to stop, for someone to make it stop.

Images of a train suddenly flashed through his mind and suddenly everything came flooding back to him in painful waves.

With one last burst of strength, he forced his exhaustion ridden body to open his eyes.

Fuji could feel his body stiffen in shock at the unnerving scene that stood before him. A deadening silence came with it. The black void had been replaced with something much, much worse. Around him lay what was left of what once was the conductors cabin.

For one, it looked like the entire compartment was now laying on its side. The windows had been completely shattered and were now replaced by giant junks of rock and rubble that had tumbled through the windows and now lay strewn all over the ground. What once was the roof of the train was now a mere memory. Parts of the roof had collapsed, letting beams of sunlight and smoke stream through. The entire half of the compartment looked like it had been completely crushed. From beneath the rubble a pale, lifeless white hand could be seen.

_'Oh my God,' _Fuji thought, horror filled his porcelain blue eyes and the next thing he knew, he was heaving the contents of his stomach onto the ground beside him. His entire body trembled and shook.

He tried to stand, to sit, to even move; only to have a blinding white pain erupt from his chest. Slowly lowering his eyes, he could not suppress the gasp of disbelief that escaped him.

He froze in a sort of denial. He kept telling himself that this wasn't happening, that this was only a dream, a figment of his imagination. It was hopeless though, no matter how hard he tried, the image of the long pole of metal that was impaling him right through the stomach never varied.

Fuji could feel himself begin to hyperventilate, as raging panic finally overcame the initial shock. He tried to force his body to calm down, but could not stop the way his breath sped up, the way his hands trembled in shock and the way his body shook in panic.

Suddenly the sound of voices nearby reached his ears, along with the sound of barking. He tried to call out to them, to alert them that he was there, but all he managed was a low moan. His vision began to go in and out of focus and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

He attempted to alert the people nearby one last time, before he finally lost consciousness.

"Hello?" He whispered, voice breaking. Fuji's eyes scrunched up as another bolt of pain flared through his chest. The barking that had been gradually getting closer, now sounded distant and far away. He knew it was only a matter of time before he died, before the world around him faded away. He knew the ambulance wouldn't make it in time.

Fuji managed to get out his last pain filled words before the world around him began to fade, "Sayanora, everyone."

"We found one! Get a stretcher over here now!" Someone shouted loudly, but the words sounded like whispers in Fuji's ears. "Come one kid! Don't you dare die on me! That's an order" Fuji gave a smile. Even now he could see images of Tezuka ordering the regulars to do laps; Even now he could see the faces of all his friends flash through his head..

Fuji's vision swam and the guy's voice slowly faded into the distance. It hurt to breath, it hurt to stay awake. If God was going to kill him, couldn't he make it quick? Fuji felt his vision and the world around him begin to fade.

He could feel his body begin to go numb, taking the pain away with it. He knew he didn't have long.

His last thought was of how Yuuta and his sister would take the news. Fuji hoped they wouldn't cry. It was then that Fuji remembered how much he and his brother had gotten along the past few weeks. He let out a small chuckle at the irony of it all. He thought he could faintly hear his brother's voice, but dismissed it as his imagination. The traces of a smile were visible on his face as the world around him faded into a never-ending black.

* * *

_The minuscule form of Fuji Syusuke sat in his father's lap, gazing curiously at the fragile child held in his mother's arms. The hospital room was silent as his mother gazed lovingly down at the newborn. _

_Beside him his older sister Yumiko sat with a look of awe placed on her face. "Oka-san what are you going to name him?"_

_Yoshiko looked towards her husband, who held her 1 year old child gently on his lap. "Any ideas?"_

_Sokito shrugged his shoulders; he had never been good at anything that involved names. Particularly remembering them._

_Fuji who had sat up a little straighter finally got his first glimpse at his younger brother's face. He couldn't help, but be amazed at how fragile and small the child looked, even if he was one himself. He then remembered the one word he had glimpsed in one of his mother's baby books. _

"_Yu-ta," He murmured softly. He wiggled off his father's lap and walked over to where his mother sat. He stood on his tip-toes so he could get another look at the baby, "Yuuta."_

_Yoshiko smiled down at her son, lifting him onto the hospital bed. She placed him down beside her and turned her gaze towards the newborn child, nestled in her arms. "What a wonderful name," She exclaimed, face brightening. "Yuuta, I love it."_

_She turned to look at her husband and daughter and found they were both nodding, smiles planted on their faces. _

"_Welcome to the family Yuuta."_

* * *

Yuuta let his gaze linger on the setting sun in the distance. The limousine he was riding in, steadily taking him farther and farther away from the mansion filled with panicked middle-schoolers.

During the last few hours he had come to hate that place; he had come to hate the pitying looks he received from everyone there, the way they treated him like he a was a fragile china doll, ready to break at any moment, the way they looked at him like they_ knew _his brother was dead.

Yuuta refused to give up hope, to give up on his brother. He knew he might be acting childish; they had all seen what was left of the train after the crash; but he couldn't bring himself to give up the tiny fragment of hope that maybe his brother had survived the crash.

After all, what kind of brother would he be, if he did?

Even though it wasn't like he had exactly treated his brother all that great that past few years. On the contrary; he had been the absolute worst brother imaginable and he knew it. He also knew how much it had pained his aniki when he ignored him; he had seen the heartbroken, dejected look that filled his brother's eyes every time they saw each other.

Yuuta flinched at the memory of it all.

The worst thing was, it hadn't even been his Aniki that he had been mad at.

Afterall, it wasn't his brother that had always expected Yuuta to be exactly like Syusuke, it wasn't his brother that always compared Yuuta to Syusuke and it wasn't his brother that always expected Yuuta to be perfect, exactly like Syusuke.

But it _had_ been his brother that Yuuta had projected his anger onto. It _had_ been his brother that Yuuta had blamed for everything and anything. Even now, a pain filled his heart as he remembered how cruel and unfair he had been towards Syusuke.

Despite what people believed, his brother wasn't perfect, no one was after all. Yuuta knew this better than anyone. He had seen the way his brother stayed up late into the night completing homework, struggling with assignments, double checking everything to make sure he got nothing wrong. He had seen the way his brother got up extra early every morning to practise tennis, before coming home to make breakfast for everyone, before heading out to his actual tennis practise. He had also seen the way his brother built up a mask around his emotions and never, ever let anyone in.

Not even him, _Yuuta_, his own brother.

Maybe that was what angered Yuuta the most. Maybe it was the feeling that his brother didn't trust Yuuta enough, to share with him how he was feeling, or about an assignment he was struggling with. Maybe it was how Syusuke never had enough time to spend with Yuuta, because he was always busy trying to impress others. And maybe, just maybe, it was the way Fuji seemed to take on everyone's pain, but never let anyone take on his, never let Yuuta see how upset he was, never let his own _brother_ past the wall around his emotions.

Thinking about it now, Yuuta was pretty sure it was all of the above. A sort of guilt began to burrow its way inside him.

"Yuuta, we're here," Mizuki's voice broke through his thoughts, causing him to jump slightly and turn his head to where Mizuki sat beside him and Atobe sat in front of him. It took him a second the realise they were at a hospital and another second to remember why they were there.

* * *

**(Flashback)**

_Once Mizuki had managed to calm Yuuta down, the group of middle schoolers were left in a tense silence. All eyes were fixed on the T.V. Everyone was waiting for an update of the situation._

_It was another hour before the news cast turned back on. Everyone leant forward, anxiously waiting, wondering what would happen now. They had been surprised to find out that as it turned out some survivors had been found, but not without some casualties too. _

_Anybody with family members who were known to be on the train, were reported to head towards Kinjuku Local Hospital. There they would be able to find out the status of their loved ones, whether they had been found dead or alive._

_Atobe had instantly ordered a limousine to be ready in no less than five minutes. He had then ordered Yuuta to grab his coat, but Yuuta was stopped by Mizuki, who placed a hand on his shoulder._

_"I'm going too," Mizuki stated, eye's flashing towards everyone in the room, daring them to object. To his surprise, Atobe merely waved his hand._

_"Grab your jacket then," He muttered, but not without rolling his eyes at Mizuki, "Yukimura, Ore-sama trusts you will be able handle things here? Try calling everyone's parents to get them to pick them up." This was met with some protests, but Atobe decided to ignore these. " Everyone is welcome to eat some of the buffet. Afterall, we won't be needing it much." _

_"Sure thing," Yukimura nodded and began to get everyone lined up. If they weren't the one using the phone, they were welcome to dig in._

_Atobe, seeing that he had left everyone in good hands, headed towards the door and outside to the limo. _

_Once they were all in, he ordered the driver to take the fasted route to Kinjuku hospital._

**(Flashback End)**

* * *

Yuuta quickly stepped out of the car, closely followed by Mizuki and Atobe, both of whom shared a look, which Yuuta purposely ignored in favour of heading inside.

He couldn't help, but be surprised at the long line up towards the front. Once people were done giving their name, they were ordered to sit down in the waiting room, which was already almost full; nurses could be seen bringing out extra chairs. If one of the train passengers were identified, the family would be notified immediately.

So they were forced to wait in line for almost 25 minutes before they reached the front.

"Name," A woman asked, barely sparing them a glance.

"Fuji Yuuta," Yuuta replied, narrowing his eyes at the lady.

"Relative(s)?" She asked again.

"Fuji Syusuke," Yuuta watched as she scribbled both their names down on a piece of paper before flipping the page.

"Next," She called out and Yuuta took this as a sign to go sit down.

They ended up finding seats in the corner of the room. As they waited, paramedics could be seen rushing people in on stretchers. The bodies however were covered, so it was impossible to recognize any of them.

Countless people were called to the back, but never Yuuta. Soon he found himself drifting back into his thoughts. He found it better than staring at the clock for hours on end. He couldn't help but to think how unfair this all was.

Him and his brother had finally started to repair their broken relationship. Now Yuuta wasn't even sure he would ever be able to have another conversation with his brother, much less spend time with him.

_'God damn it!'_ He thought angrily, hands clenched into fists until his knuckles turned white. He decided that if there was a God up there, than he was a cruel, heartless bastard to make something like this happen.

Out of the corner of his eyes he saw another nurse enter the waiting room. He had expected her to call another unknown name and lead them to the back. So when she called his name, let's just say it was quite the surprise.

"Fuji Yuuta," Her voice echoed around the waiting room.

Yuuta's eyes widened and his mouth opened in shock. He leaped to his feet, heading towards the nurse. "Ha-Hai!" He replied, fear suddenly gripping his very soul.

"Right this way," The nurse said, leading him into the back.

Yuuta followed silently. Behind him he could hear another pair of footsteps and deduced they were probably Mizuki. As he was led farther and farther into the back he caught glimpses of some people hugging family members in relief and some sobbing on their knee's after finding out that their kin had been unlucky enough not to survive the crash.

Yuuta could feel dread begin to surround him and began to wonder if he even wanted to know his brother's condition. After all, what would he do if his brother did die? What would he say?

In front of him the nurse stopped at a door labeled '133'. Yuuta couldn't help the uncertaintly that bubbled up inside him, or the fear that suddenly gripped him. The nurse, not noticing any of this, opened the door and lead Yuuta inside.

Yuuta paused in the doorway, eyes frozen on the bed in front of him. Mizuki was frozen beside him.

"Aniki!" he cried and took a step towards the bed.

* * *

**A/N**

_Did you like it?_

_Is Fuji alive?_

_Did they manage to save him?_

_What about the others?_

_Was it too long?_

Please review and tell me how I did.


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